A Stray Invader
by mattsloved1
Summary: There was Sherlock bear, a pipette raised in front of him like a sword, facing off against a black cat. A birthday present for the fantastic Lucy36! 11th in the Bear Chronicles.


No bears or stray cats were harmed in the making of this piece. lol

The hubby gave this a glance over once I was finished so please forgive any mistakes.

I only own the bears. :-)

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The good Doctor Watson had been enjoying some homemade _ratatouille_ when a text from Lestrade had Sherlock rushing out of the flat, John close on his heels.

The moment the front door slammed shut, Sherlock Bear hopped down and went to check on any experiments currently being run. John Bear moved to 'his' comfy chair and snuggled against the arm for a nice think.

All was quiet and peaceful until a hiss was heard followed by items crashing to the floor. An angry cry had John Bear fully awake and hurrying towards the noise. Only a few steps from the kitchen table, he skidded to a halt. There was Sherlock bear, a pipette raised in front of him like a sword, facing off against a black cat. The furry animal had its hair standing on end to look larger and John Bear had to admit he felt a shiver of fear run through his stuffing at the monstrous animal.

His button eyes were drawn to four test tubes lying shattered on the floor and he was thankful they had been empty before falling. Who knew what chemicals were just out of reach? He turned back towards his friend in time to see the cat running down the hallway, a Detective Bear close behind. He caught up to them in the bedroom.

The cat growled and spit but that did nothing to deter Sherlock Bear.

John Bear stopped just in front of the open door. "Where did it come from and what are you doing?"

Keeping his focus on the four legged creature in front of him, the red bear answered, "It's quite obvious if you would only take a moment to look at your surroundings."

Trying not to bristle at the rude and, in his mind, unnecessary comment, John Bear did just that. He sighed after finding a window open wide enough for a small animal to fit through.

"He left it open again. Of course he did."

For some time, S.H. and J.W., as they were known to the bears, had been arguing over S.H. forgetting to close his window. J.W. complaining that an animal, or worse a human, could easily find their way into the flat. It would appear J.W. had finally been proven right.

"What are you going to do?" John Bear inched forward with his friend.

"What I would like to do is take care of the wretched creature and leave it under this bed so a certain someone eventually finds its rotting _carrion_."

John Bear wrinkled his nose. That seemed a bit extreme and he couldn't tell if Sherlock Bear intended for his human counterpart or the cat to suffer more.

"However, since I know such a course of action will not please you, I am going to force this animal out the entrance it originally used, close the window enough so that it cannot fit in again after it has departed, make my way back to the mantle top to await the arrival of the two men who also live here and enjoy watching the argument that will inevitably follow."

Nodding his agreement to the plan, John Bear backed up and pushed the room's door until only a crack remained open. It certainly wouldn't do for them to let the cat run back out into the rest of the flat. As he turned back, the tan bear could tell slow and controlled movement merely resulted in a standoff. John Bear decided to try something different.

Taking a deep breath, he took off on a run. Yelling as loud as his little voice would allow. Thankfully, it was more than enough to startle the unsuspecting feline who jumped a few inches in the air and then scurried to the very window it had come through. Sherlock Bear, who would later deny experiencing any surprise at all, instantly caught on to his companion's plans and joined in. Within moments, the cat fled the noise and movement and escaped to the outdoors. Working together, the two bears managed to lower the window until they were certain no other animals would be able to enter.

A _smug_ smile on his face, John Bear patted his friend on the back. "I would say that went rather well."

Sherlock Bear grudgingly agreed. "Yes, yes, your spontaneous idea worked."

They made their way back through the kitchen, the pipette tossed towards the pile of broken glass as they passed. In no time, both bears were perched atop the mantle. Only minutes later the sounds of steps on the stair were heard. S.H. blew into the flat like the force of nature he was while J.W. calmly entered, tossing his coat towards the sofa. He started into the kitchen but froze when faced with the contents lying on the floor.

"Sherlock, what is this mess doing on the floor? Is there a reason you didn't clean it up before we left?"

Only slightly interested, S.H. stood from his chair and came to see what his flatmate was talking about. His eyes moved until he had all the necessary data.

"Simple. A cat found its way into the flat during our absence and proceeded to knock over some of my empty equipment."

"And how did a cat get into the flat?" J.W.'s left eyebrow rose as he waited.

S.H. opened his mouth to answer, remembered J.W. would not care for his answer and promptly closed it again.

What followed was a discussion, slightly loud and sweary at times on J.W.'s part, which both bears found quite amusing. By the time it was all over, S.H. had solemnly promised that in the future his window would remain closed every time he left the flat. The penalty for forgetting was a game of chess with his brother.

Unnoticed, the bears smiled. Happy in the knowledge there would be no more four legged, whiskered invaders.


End file.
